AD Agencies
Ogilvy Mumbai scores a double whammy at the AME
MUMBAI: Continuing its dominance at the ‘Effectiveness Awards’ shows, Ogilvy Mumbai enjoyed a stellar night at the AME’s (Asian Marketing Effectiveness Awards) held in Singapore on the 29 May.
Ogilvy South Asia executive chairman & creative director Piyush Pandey said, “I am truly delighted at this wonderful performance. It is all due to opportunities given by clients and the fantastic delivery of our battery of young men and women. We value effectiveness which is achieved through high levels of creativity. Cheers to Ogilvy Mumbai and Geometry Global (the activation arm of Ogilvy).”
On the back of big wins for Lifebuoy Roti & Google Reunion along with other wins on Vodafone, Mondelez, Fevicol and Akanksha, Ogilvy won a total of 17 metals thereby winning the twin titles of Asia Pacific’s Most Effective Agency Office of the Year & Media Strategy Agency of the Year. The AME’s recognise campaigns that demonstrate effectiveness in delivering a return on the marketing investment.
Commenting on the win Ogilvy Mumbai head of planning Kawal Shoor, who was at the awards said, “This reaffirms that obsession with ‘The Work’ pays. Everything else is irrelevant. Every time I went up on stage to pick a trophy, I felt there were many of us going up together – my creative and account partners, my planners and my friends who are called clients. I wish my brother-in-arms, Navin was there with me as well. Ogilvy Mumbai winning the agency-of-the-year in Asia Pacific not just for effectiveness, but for media – through a panoramic bunch of work – not just film, is a good sign that we’re ready for tomorrow.”
Ogilvy Mumbai head Navin Talreja added, “For the last two consecutive years we have won the title of the Most Effective Agency Office in the World but somehow Asia Pacific eluded us. Until now. At the beginning of the year, as an office, we committed to make it happen in Asia Pacific and so this is a wonderful feeling. A lot of blood, sweat and tears of creative teams, planners and account management has made this happen. A big salute to them all. And most importantly a big thank you to all our clients who keep partnering us and our crazy ideas helping us reach greater heights.”
Ogilvy India national creative director Abhijit Avasthi, the man behind the work that wins in the market place concluded, “This win reinforces our belief in the power of creativity and the Ogilvy way of doing things. Our clients are our biggest supporters, so a big thank you to them.”
AD Agencies
AdTrust Summit 2026 to examine trust, AI and Gen Alpha in advertising
Two-day summit in Mumbai to explore ethics, regulation and the future of advertising trust
MUMBAI: At a time when advertising is navigating a delicate trust deficit, the Advertising Standards Council of India is preparing to bring the industry to the table. On 17 and 18 March, the body will host the inaugural AdTrust Summit 2026 in Mumbai, a two-day gathering designed to spark conversation around responsibility, regulation and credibility in modern advertising.
The summit, to be held at the Jio World Convention Centre in Bandra Kurla Complex, will bring together leaders from advertising, media, technology and policy to examine how brands can build trust in a marketplace increasingly shaped by algorithms, influencers and artificial intelligence.
In an age of deepfakes, dark patterns and blurred lines between content and commerce, the question is no longer just how brands capture attention, but whether audiences believe what they see. The AdTrust Summit aims to unpack that challenge.
Day one will turn its attention to the youngest digital natives. Titled Decoding Gen Alpha, the session will unveil ‘What the Sigma?’, a study by ASCI and Futurebrands Consulting that explores how children growing up in a hyper-digital environment encounter advertising and commercial messaging.
The report presentation will be delivered by Santosh Desai, founder and director at Think9 Consumer Technologies and a social commentator known for his insights into consumer behaviour. The discussion that follows will attempt to decode how Gen Alpha consumes media, interacts with brands and navigates the growing overlap between entertainment and marketing.
In a move that mirrors the subject itself, two Gen Alpha students will also join the conversation, offering a rare perspective from the generation advertisers are trying to understand.
The second panel of the day will shift the focus from observation to implication, asking what the report’s findings mean for brands, agencies and society. Speakers include Karthik Srinivasan, communications strategy consultant; Preeti Vyas, president at Mythik; and Abigail Dias, associate president planning at Ogilvy. The session will be moderated by Sonali Krishna, editor at ET Brand Equity.
Day two moves from insight to regulation. Under the theme From Compliance to Trust, ASCI will release its Ad Law Compendium, a comprehensive guide to India’s advertising regulations.
The day will open with a keynote by Sudhanshu Vats, chairman at ASCI and managing director at Pidilite Industries, followed by a chief guest address by Sanjay Jaju, secretary at the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.
Legal experts from Khaitan & Co., including Haigreve Khaitan, senior partner, and Tanu Banerjee, partner, will present an overview of the current advertising law landscape in India and examine whether existing frameworks are equipped to deal with emerging technologies and formats.
Subsequent panels will explore issues increasingly shaping the industry’s ethical compass. Conversations will range from the limits of persuasive design and the rise of dark patterns, to the growing scrutiny brands face from digital creators and consumer watchdogs.
One session will also feature Revant Himatsingka, widely known online as the Food Pharmer, whose critiques of packaged food brands have sparked debate around transparency and corporate accountability.
Later discussions will turn toward media literacy among Gen Alpha, asking how children can be equipped to navigate a digital world where gaming, content and commerce are becoming indistinguishable.
The summit will conclude with a final panel on the future of advertising, bringing together voices from agencies, legal circles and technology platforms to discuss how innovation, intelligence and integrity can coexist.
For an industry built on persuasion, trust has always been its quiet currency. But as audiences grow more sceptical and digital ecosystems more complex, that currency is under pressure.
Events like the AdTrust Summit suggest the advertising world knows it cannot afford to take credibility for granted. The real challenge now is turning conversation into commitment.
